For many years, groups have wished they could be proactive and approach willing individuals rather than waiting for people to come to them. Volunteer Cambs now offers this service for groups to find their ideal volunteers.

As the sun comes out and the event schedules for fairs, fun days, and charity events kick off, many groups are looking for ad-hoc volunteers. There are also more and more groups on the Volunteer Cambs website, so competition to get your advert in front of the right people is increasing.

Here’s a great reason to come to our ‘How to..’ series and start thinking about approaching people instead of waiting for them to come to you.

Did you know that as of the time of writing this article (8th May), we have 72 people who have put their profiles on the Volunteer Pool and want to be approached about how they can support your organisation? We have people joining daily. These people may have applied for roles but are also open to you approaching them. They do not know what they would like to do but are open to being asked.

A screenshot from the Volunteer Cambs website showing the number of people signed up the the Volunteer Pool on the 8th May 2024

With that, we wanted to give you 5 top tips on approaching people through the Volunteer Pool.

1. Make sure you approach those who live near your activity. You can do this by clicking the ‘show additional details.’ Which is under their profile paragraph. This will create a drop-down allowing you to see where they live. If you really like them, then ask them if they are willing to travel, remember to pay expenses where you can.
2. Alternatively, click at the top, and there is a search bar where you can search for those who want to support certain tasks or fit a certain advert.
3. You can only reach out to a limited number of people at once, so read and pick those you think would be interested in hearing from you.
4. When you kick off the chat, don’t start with the role. Explain what you do and the impact you make. Remember, you’re pitching for someone to spend their time with you. If they are interested in your cause, explain how they could support you. This should be an easy sell because you have matched their interests with your needs.
5. Make sure you keep the back end updated and tell us when someone is volunteering for you so we can tell your story to others and get more of the public and organisations to use the site.

So, what are you waiting for? Click on the Volunteer Pool and have a look; your next ideal volunteer might just be waiting for you there!

For more support on using the Volunteer Pool, click the Help Button and sign up for the new ‘How to..’ series. If you are still struggling, drop us an email at info@volunteercambs.org.uk